Carrot Harvest

 

I had gone out to check on the garden and noticed that something was eating the carrots so I decided that we needed to get them harvested. 

Sam helped me and we got them all pulled. 

The total was over 30 lbs of carrots, which is pretty good. 

While we were pulling them I watched Sable come up to the row, grab a carrot and pull it out of the ground and then take it and eat it. 

So we caught the culprit. 

I did not think it was the dog! 

But evidently she LOVES carrots. 

I'm glad to have them harvested. 

 

Family Dinner

 

Dallin, Jessie and the kids came out for dinner.
Patrice has been house sitting and her and the boys came out too. 

We got to meet her boyfriend, Bill for the first time. 

He seems really nice. 

Dallin and Patrice and I played Scrabble. 

I lost, but whatever.

We were playing the cheating game. 

It's where you just cheat the whole time. 

It's more fun that way. 

We had a great dinner together and then went out into the garden and picked things and ate them.

I love my family.

I am sad that Dallin and Jessie are moving to Fairbanks. 

Like a deep sadness.

But I am trying to focus on the good things and the now.

And right now we have about a month left with them living here. 

I'm trying to postpone the crying until later. 

It just means that I love them so deeply. 

It's fine. 

It's all fine. 

(it's not really fine)

 

 

Celebrating Jamie and Bellamy

 

I got to go and celebrate Jamie and Bellamy's birthday with them at the Fun Center today. 

It was fun to see all four kids. 

I am so grateful for answered prayers and that things are improving between our family and the Nelson family. 

I miss those kids. 

Gracyn just loved me and wanted to stay by me a lot of the time. 

I didn't get a picture of Jacob because he didn't even stop running around the entire time. 

I just am so grateful. 

Jamie even remembered living with us and using a mattress to slide down the stairs with. 

I love that she remembers wonderful things. 

My heart feels a little more healed each time I see them. 

God answers prayers. 

I will never doubt that. 

Plus, I gave Jamie a cucumber for her birthday and she said it was the best present ever!

 

Alaska State Fair 2023

 

Matt and I feel like we might have out grown the fair. 

That feels like a crime to say that. 

We have gone to the fair and gotten a cream puff every year for the last 20 years. 

Minus the year of the pandemic. 

But we walked around, ate a lot of food, and then after about 1 /1/2 hrs looked at each other and decided to go home. 

We saw Corban there with his friends and that was fun to see him having fun. 

Also saw several of my students. 

Some of them wanted a picture with me. 

I joked that they were like the paparazzi.

Anyway, I don't know if we will go again next year or not. 

It's not the same with out our kids. 

I am struggling trying to find my balance with only adult children.

Sigh. 

 

Preserving

 

There is this every little bit counts challenge that I have been trying to do each day. 

It is that you preserve one thing a day for the entire month of August and then by the end of the month, you have tons of stuff preserved. 

I am getting something on most every day, except a few.

Anyway, some of the things that I have preserved so far are

*canned soups

*zucchini relish

*jams

*frozen berries, zucchini, broccoli and celery

*freeze dried herbs

*canned green beans and carrots

*sauerkraut

*frozen pesto

* beef and chicken broths

*water glassed eggs

*cured garlic

It's been a fun thing to do. 

The boys did not like the smell of the relish, but it tastes amazing!

 

And We're Back

 

School has started again and I am back in the classroom. 

My 5th period is tiny. 

Six students!

But we are going to have a blast in there. 

They took my phone and took this picture.

I love these kids! 

Time with Dad

 

Getting older kind of stinks.

And watching my dad get older also stinks. 

But it is a two edged sword, because if I wasn't watching him get older, he would no longer be with us in body.

So getting older is a blessing not afforded to everyone. 

I am glad he's still here. 

I often go with him to his appointments. 

He kind of forgets things a little bit at this point. 

He has a hard time walking and gets tired really easy. 

He's frustrated that his body is not working like he wants it to. 

I imagine that someday I will probably be right where he is.

Being so independent but not being able to be as independent as I used to be. 

I get it from him.

My stubbornness, my drive to experience all the things, and my independence. 

I'm so grateful for my dad.

I'm also grateful I made him laugh while we waited for the doctor to come in. 

Glove elephant animals for the win! 

 

Rissa's Birthday

 

Every year, for at least the past 11 years, I have given Marissa a cucumber for her birthday. 

It's kind of a great tradition. 

I love it and she loves it. 

I also want to point out that it is not just any cucumber. 

It is one that I have grown from a tiny seed. 

That's pretty impressive. 

Ah, birthday cucumbers! 

Park Day with the Littles

 

This part of my heart is moving to Fairbanks and I am not happy about it. 

At all. 

I think my heart my break without them near. 

That said, I am enjoying every moment I still get with them. 

Today we adventured at the park. 

I just love their cute little faces so much! 

 

Canning Chicken and cucumelons

 

I have LOVED harvesting and preserving this summer. 

I have spent so many hours in the garden and in the kitchen. 

I am excited to use what we have been growing during the winter. 

Also, I experimented growing these tiny cucumbers called cucumelons. 

They are tiny and they look like watermelons.

They do not however taste like watermelons. 

They are not actually that good. haha!

It was a fun experiment though. 

And it's been fun having little Emer be my shadow during the day. 

Most days. :) 

 

Strawberries

 

This summer has been the summer of strawberries!

To date we have picked almost 80 pounds of strawberries! 

I have made crisps, jam, and fruit leather. 

I have frozen a ton and we have pureed a lot and put in kefir. 

It has been such an incredible blessing.

I have been picking every day for weeks now. 

And the fruit leather I've been making is SO good! 

It feels like this amazing blessing to have such a bounteous harvest. 

I am preserving and storing as much as I can so we can still enjoy summer in the depths of winter.